2008 non starter

My 08 GRiSO does not go "Brum Brum".

The battery is at 12.4v.

When I hit the button there's a loud click first time, but after that a barely audible click.

Dash does not go out.

Lights working.

I was about to go somewhere on it, and ended up just going on another bike, so not had a chance to investigate.

Any thoughts on where I should be looking? I'll start off by making sure all connections are clean and tight, and will take a look at fuses.

Anything else?

Do a search on ‘Startus Interuptus’.

Yep. Sounds like a classic case of Startus Interuptus

...and potentially a bad battery...just had to replace the battery on my Norge...also at 12.3V, seemingly good, but just a click. Ironically the battery was only 1.5 years old...this Texas heat is killing it prematurely.

Fresh battery and instant start again...no issues.

Is there a main thread with instructions on startus interruptus? A search is returning a lot of hits, but the only comprehensive thing I'm seeing seems to be a description of another Startus approach. I'd quite like to just read through the instructions on the main startus fix. It has to be here right?

The quickest and easiest is the MPH kit. Not cheap to the UK for a bit of wire, a fuse, and some lugs.

When you say the battery is at 12.4V, was that via the dash, or did you measure it with a meter?
If the ECU measures the battery volts as being too low (less than 10V), it won't allow start. Checking and cleaning the battery terminals, main ground and ECU ground may be all that is required.

Also remember that battery voltage is dependent on load. As soon as the solenoid, or even the relay, starts drawing current the voltage will drop. If the starter motor kicks in, (Which yours isn’t.) it will plunge!

If your battery is weak then the contacts of both relay and solenoid will tend to get befouled with carbon which inhibits their ability to work. This can be overcome to a degree by ensuring a suitably high current flow which is what the ‘Startus Interuptus’ fix helps. The problem is caused by Guzzis bizarre starter wiring where the current feed for the relay and solenoid has to run up and down the bike for yards before the electrons flop out exhausted at their destination! The aim is to get maximum ‘Grunt’ to the delivery feed of the relay.

One other thing. What battery have you got fitted? If it is a 16 AH one, and these are the ones usually supplied by shops, it is not up to the task for long. Sure they will work for a while, (I, to my shame, have one in ‘Red Bike’ at the moment as it was all I could get in a hurry.) but the factory specified the physically identical 20 AH battery for good reason and if these are harder to find due to cost or, as in Oz, no longer imported by the bloody Yuassa agent! the 16 AH option is often substituted.

Firstly, take your battery and get it load tested. If it’s even slightly dodgy, replace it. After this you can perform the Startus fix, there are several ways of going about it and they have all been described here but the object is to get good amperage to both the trigger and delivery sides of the relay.

Once it’s working again keep your battery in tip-top condition. The odd thing is it doesn’t affect every bike! My 160,000Km 2008 ‘Yellow bike’ has never failed to start under any circumstance. 30,000Km 2010 ‘Red bike’ lets me know as soon as it’s battery is the least bit dodgy! Go figure!

Thanks guys - helpful.

The battery is a brand spanking new Yuasa YX20CH, and it's showing 12.74v on the multimeter. I cleaned and tightened the terminals, and the earth behind the starter motor cover. I'm getting a "clonk" on first attempt to start - which I imagine is the solenoid throwing the pinion, but not quite managing to close the contacts and spin the lump. Subsequent attempts get a "click" which I guess is the starter relay. Which one is the starter relay - cleaning the contacts on that probably won't hurt.

And finally, I don't want to buy the MPH kit. I've got 2mm automotive cable, crimp connectors and inline fuse holders, and stuff, so should be able to do the startus fix myself, if I know what I need to do.

But I don't want to start hacking the loom until I know I need to. Is there anything else I should do before going down that route. And is there an idiot's guide anywhere? I am a bona-fide idiot - just ask my lovely wife.

I used the 'new relay circuit method' after finally developing starting problems 6 months ago where fuse was blowing everytime it didn't start (new battery, clean earths etc etc)

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Just saying this as the bike initially seemed fixed but still has occasional starting issues only this fix means doesn't blow fuse, just requires two goes (kill on/off between goes) to get started...anyway IMHO the problem on older bikes can equally be the solenoid action & I plan to go clean solenoid up when I can be bothered !

Ok, exactly which grounds do I need to do please? I've done the battery terminals, and the ground behind the starter cover. Where is the ECU ground?

Also, is there a clear explanation of the standard startys fix somewhere. I think I've got everything I need, .

Lot's of stuff around like [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

The std fix is basically running a new fused live from battery live to to the existing starter relay high current live feed (AND critically taping off the feed to the rear lamp cluster when you cut into the wiring)...best pic I can find is stelvio but it's same idea

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Obviously that doesn't 'improve' the crap wiring running down to the starter solenoid, hence more variations OR just go for 'new relay/fuse fix'


I think the 'standard fix' is less popular today than the 'new relay/fuse at the starter fix'; mainly due to the amount of chopping into existing wiring & running wires around the shop etc. The MPH solution is 'standard solution ready built'; but if you are vaguely ok with wiring, it's easy enough to replicate yourself.

OK, so it turns out fuse B had blown. But that MUST have happened AFTER the original problem manifested, because I was getting a good "CLONK" whereas today I was only hearing the relay. It's now starting fine, but suspect it's only a matter of time

Should I still be considering startus interruptus fix, or giving the solenoid a good clean up?

I had same (3 fuses down before I did the 'relay by the starter' fix). After that it has been occasional press start-click-kill on/off-press start-engine started...an improvement given I don't have to carry a bag of fuses around.

So I would do the fix; see how it goes & if it's still misbehaving then do solenoid.

So does the relay by the starter fix require a new relay, or are we re-using the original starter relay? (yeah I guess its in your links but I'm curious and on the move, so not got a chance to read in detail yet.)

Thanks for the help though - much appreciated. Diagram is particularly helpful.

It's a new (& additional) relay and you don't touch the original relay set up - just use them as low current option to switch the new relay down by the starter....

Oh OK, I was trying to make sense of that. So the original relay still triggers everything , but we daisy chain another relay off it, and that one down by the starter and supplied with big wires direct from the battery handles all the high current work? If so that sounds like a sensible solution, and leaves the original wiring untouched.

Looks like a standalone fix to m, or is it normally done in addition to the standard Startus fix?

it's instead of the standard fix IF you haven't already done the standard fix.....If you have already done the standard fix, you can add the 'relay at starter' mod and move the 'heavy lifting' down to the starter area & improve the wiring down there.

that's becasue the standard fix 'just' eliminates the large current around the switchgear etc; but (unless you also change/add that wiring) it doesn't address the original wiring from the relay down to the solenoid or the size of the wiring in that area.